


Clarity

by obviouslyelementary



Series: Final Fantasy XIV [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: ???? not really but man this was like my brain throwing up, Friendship, Gen, Introspection, Light Angst, M/M, Memories, i have no idea how to tag this, omega and that stuff, spoilers for the beginning of SB, the very beginning though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obviouslyelementary/pseuds/obviouslyelementary
Summary: During their trip from Cartenau to Mor Dhona, Cid has some moments to himself.
Relationships: (hinted), Cid nan Garlond & Warrior of Light, Cid nan Garlond/Nero tol Scaeva
Series: Final Fantasy XIV [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029102
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title has nothing to do with the fanfic, its the song I heard while writing it. Also this fanfic is literally my brain throwing up a bunch of ideas. I hope you guys like it because even I don't know what this is. It's mostly Cid and WoL friendship tho

Their trip to Mor Dhona was weird at best, uncomfortable at worst. After they settled inside the Enterprise, Cid felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder, now that the primal Ilberd had freed was somewhere in the world, together with Omega, both hopefully out of commission. Still, despite wishing they could have done something different, he had to give credit where was due: Papalymo had not been able to hold the primal inside the cocoon for long, and if it wasn't for Nero's absurd plan, all of Eorzea would be suffering an eight calamity by now.

The winds were still fresh, the people were still living... Cid had to thank him for that.

Still, he and Nero were not in talking terms. They hadn't been for a while now, which was the most bothersome fact about this mission. Nero had been defeated by the warrior of light in what seemed like years ago, and Cid had been defective for most of his life at this point. Two things that did not help much their case. Despite Nero's utter comfort in making fun of Cid, even in front of Eorzea's leaders, it still meant nothing. Nero was like that. It didn't mean he had changed, that he had become... a good person.

Cid felt frustrated, was it. Frustrated because sometimes ever since the Crystal tower, when Nero simply decided to be part of the team, every now and then he saw that glimmer of the man he had been friends with, once. The man he fought over and over again at the academy, whom he laughed with and became close friends to until he left to work with his father. Something else that broke them apart, before Cid's defection. It was a complicated relationship, theirs, and Cid just didn't know what to do anymore. Not that he would try, if he knew. Somehow, just thinking about a solution would make him feel better.

And while most of their passengers were comfortable enough keeping for themselves and relaxing in the short time they had from Cartenau to Mor Dhona, there was someone in that ship that always seemed to surprise Cid, over and over again. It shouldn't have been any surprise to him, and yet, he couldn't stop himself from staring when the warrior of light sat down next to him, making themselves comfortable, staring at him.

Cid gave them a smile, a side one, honest but tired.

"Hello friend" he said, unsure as to why they would be just... here, and not with their friends. The adventurer was close to pretty much everyone in the ship, asides from Nero, so they had plenty of talk to go around. Yet, they chose him to speak to. No wonder.

Their tilt of head and questionable glance said it all.

"I'm fine, my friend. Thoughtful, that is all" he explained, and the warrior's eyebrows furrowed gently. Cid shrugged, really not trying to push this conversation further. Conversation? The warrior of light barely ever spoke. Their questions and notes were made usually by tilts of head and expressions. After a moment of silence, the adventurer's glance shifted, and Cid accompanied it, both stopping by the door of the chambers where Nero was currently resting. After a second, they turned to Cid again, raising an eyebrow, and he felt weirdly trapped, his throat closing in a knot. He took a deep breath, and then sighed, a defeated smile on his face. "You are too perceptive, my friend."

The warrior of light smiled, gently, and leaned closer to Cid, gently pushing against his arm. It was the subtle indication, that said, with no words, 'you can trust me'. And Cid knew he could.

"Our story is... complicated. Not enough time in this flight to explain everything" he started, now staring at the wall in front of him, trying to find the right words to explain what he was thinking, or feeling. "What you must know, I think, is that we were close once. Very close. And I think a... friendship such as ours remains, despite how many times we have made mistakes" he tried, and while it didn't cover even one eight of what it really mean, he knew the warrior of light was wise. That they would be able to decipher what he wasn't able to express.

Turning his face to them, he saw in their eyes the understanding. A nod followed, and a hand over his shoulder. Cid smiled and covered theirs with his own, squeezing it gently.

Fact was, no matter how many times Nero hurt him, how many times Cid hurt Nero in return, there would be always a sense of... trust, that was extremely hard to achieve. They were loyal to each other, even now, and Cid could feel it, underneath every single joke, tease and discussion. Nero had been his enemy out of pure team alignment, and despite what the other said, Cid had never been a threat to Nero in any way, simply because he never meant to be.

They were closer than they would like to admit, and a single glance or a half cut word, or a different breath was all it took for them to understand each other. It was like a connection that Cid had never had with anyone, not his closest friends, or the few lovers he had had throughout his life.

They just... understood each other. It was strange and uncomfortable at times, but mostly, it was a relief.

Feeling another squeeze to his shoulder, Cid turned to face the adventurer, only then noticing he had turned his attention back to the chambers where Nero was, most likely, plotting. The warrior's smile was warm and understanding, and their nod was significant of a simple thing: it was their secret, they would not tell anyone. Cid thanked them in silence, with a simple smile and nod, and turned his face towards the door once more, sighing once the warrior of light had stood up and left back to the upper deck.

Maybe it was time they talked. That they solved this issue, once and for all.

Maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

He tried not to think too hard about it. After all, saying the idea had been his was no short of an understatement: he had travelled all the way from Mor Dhona to Gridania simply to crash into the leaders' little reunion and put his two cents in their discussion, for the sake of what? Eorzea? Himself? His curiosity about the Omega and the Allagans? Even he wasn't sure at this point, considering his past and that he was not, well, a good person. Always he had believed the Empire had all the right to rule Eorzea and end those little savages, and yet, here he was, by design or out of pure self-preservation, helping those he swore to destroy.

How the world turned.

Still, what bothered him the most was, of course, having to share such a moment with his sworn enemy, Cid nan Garlond, or just Cid Garlond, now that he was defective. He did not have the right for the title anymore, not in Nero's head anyway. The emperor probably agreed, although Gaius would definitely go against the idea. No matter how many times Garlond betrayed them, Gaius did not seem to care.

At least now he was six feet under, together with his stupid revolutionary ideas.

Luckily, Garlond did not seem half as inclined to talk to him as Nero was, giving them a rather professional relationship in this whole Omega plan. Once aboard the Enterprise, Nero immediately made his way inside the airship, in one of the separated rooms, to remain alone and check on his plans. After all, he had barely a sketch, if not just an idea, something the others could not find out. He needed to at least pretend as if he knew what he was doing, so that they would not give up on his idea. He needed to see what the Omega was capable of.

So, he shut himself in those small rooms, opened up his blueprints and studied them as he did back in the academy, wondering how the idea could be perfected. Always a fan of Allagan work, he had stolen those blueprints way back when and kept them for safekeeping, always maintaining the possibility of such an event to happen. Surely he didn't expect to aid the Eorzeans, but he digressed. It did not matter. What mattered was the Omega, its power, and the fact that he would be the one to activate it again.

Well he and... Garlond.

Apparently Gaius was not the only one unable to take the engineer out of his head.

Nero shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing to himself. Just a few feet away, he stood, probably commanding his little ship. Pathetic. Being the biggest engineer of all time in the Empire wasn't enough for Cid Garlond, no, he had to turn his back on everything he knew and aid the stupid savages he called friends. It was almost ridiculous, when Nero thought about it. And yet, here he was, thinking about him.

He couldn't help it, in fact. The hatred was still clear in his mind and soul, the want to just destroy him was ever present, but then some glimpses of the last few months returned to his mind to make him crazy. He remembered the Crystal Tower and the god damned dark world, and how he had tried to stupidly save that girl, only to get stuck on the other side. Not all the praying in the world would have saved him, and yet, there he was, damned Cid Garlond, reaching inside and saving him from doom.

Like he did so many times while they were young, unknowingly, just by existing.

Nero shook his head in reluctance and forced himself to purge those thoughts as far away from him as possible. Truth was, no matter what Garlond did, they would always be enemies, and whatever happened in the past had to be forgotten and thrown away, never to return. Sure, Nero was now defective too, but it was different, for he had no intention of helping those poor Eorzean souls, and if he knew the emperor would take him back after such a failure, he would come without second questions. However he knew very well that was not the case, and he wouldn't risk returning to the empire empty handed.

His mind had been off his work for so long that he found himself startled by the knock on the door. He sighed, turning to face it, and made his way to the entrance, expecting to somehow have already arrived in Cartenau, his daydream making him unaware of the time. Once he opened the door, Garlond was there, staring at him.

Nero couldn't help the smirk that curled on his face. It was natural.

"Yes?" he asked, leaning against the door for the sake of it, while Garlond's eyes drifted down, eyebrows furrowed, as if he was searching for the right words. Nero waited, watching him, raising an eyebrow at his silence.

"May I come in? We... need to talk" he said, head moving up again so their eyes could meet. Determination was written all over Garlond's face, making Nero curious. He gave the man a simple nod, leaving enough space for him to walk through, and closing the door after him.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, sarcastically, in a way that always made Cid angry. He remembered when they were teens... Garlond was easy to piss off. This time, however, he seemed resolute, eyes focused on the blueprints for a moment before returning to Nero, eyeing him closely.

"It's about this mission, Nero. About now, about... about us."

So he had learned to be direct, after all these years,

"What about us?" Nero asked, making himself completely oblivious on propose. Of course he had thought about them. Of course he had spent nights wondering if this would lead anywhere, and if it did, how he would proceed. Would he just forgive everything Garlond had done? Would he be stubborn? Did he even feel anything for him anymore?

Well, that last one was easy to answer.

"Don't do this" Garlond said, sounding more like a threat, something Nero thrived on. He liked seeing him angry. It made his day brighter. "We won't work well if we don't resolve whatever is left between us."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Garlond" he said, smirking and making his way towards the desk, standing on the opposite side of Cid, staring at him. "For all I know, there was never anything between us."

"Nero..." Cid groaned, eyes narrowing, anger taking over. But Nero would not let go.

"Whatever happened, Garlond, happened between two people who don't exist anymore. You and I are nothing more than compatriots trying to work together. That is it" he said, tilting his head and smirking. "Nothing to think, nothing to remember, nothing to recall. We are nothing."

Garlond stared at him with anger in his eyes for a while, before he seemed to succumb to those words and sigh, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and opening them again, staring at Nero, determined once more.

"Very well. If they don't exist anymore, you won't mind if I make a new attempt" he said, and Nero furrowed his eyebrows, now truly confused. What? Garlond made his way around the table, where Nero was standing, and stopped in front of him, just a few ilms away.

"What are you doing?" Nero asked, giving a step behind, but the table pushed back against his waist and he did not move further. Cid tilted his head, eyes glistening with a new resolve.

"Starting anew" he explained, leaning up, holding Nero's face and pressing a kiss to his lips.

And Nero... well, he didn't know how to respond. So he didn't.

Cid pulled away after a few seconds, staring deep into his eyes, and giving Nero a shit eating grin of someone who won the battle.

"Cid Garlond, at your service" he said, pulling his hands away. "No more titles, no more empire, no more fighting. I'll be on the deck if you need anything."

Just like that, Cid left, and Nero stared at the door without any words. His eyes were wide and he was trying to make sense of the whole situation, a bubbling feeling of anger burning in his stomach, together with an extremely soothing feeling in his heart.

So he wanted to start anew, hun?

Nero smirked.

Two could play this game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOps I wrote a sequel oh well. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF I SWEAR YOU KNOW YOU ARE GUILTY MY FRIEND still i love this ship fuck me.
> 
> (Things get spicy but like not nsfw)

Gladly, no one commented anything when Cid returned to the upper deck, his face red as a maelstrom flag. He gave a single glance to the warrior of light, her smile speaking volumes to his conscience, and sighed deeply, using the cold wind to settle his face to a normal color and temperature again. He made his way towards Biggs, nodding for him to leave, and took the wheel again, staring into the road. Soon, they would reach Mor Dhona, and make their preparations to head to Cartenau and bring Omega back online.

Only Nero to have such a crazy plan.

Once at the region, he stopped the Enterprise by a cliff side, telling the adventurers to come back soon so they could finish this once and for all. They all agreed, knowing that whatever magick was holding the primal back inside that cocoon would not remain powerful enough for too long. By their departure, Biggs left with Wedge so they could visit Tataru, leaving both Cid and Nero alone in the ship. Well, that shouldn't be a problem, considering that Nero had not left his chambers once during the entire trip, so Cid was not expecting him to do so now.

It gave Cid a good time to think and consider everything he was about to do.

Of course he had thought about bringing Omega online, it was the only thing that they knew could somehow stop a primal, as it had done once before. The Allagans, destroyed or no, were incredibly intelligent and for that they had built some incredible machinery. Fact was, bringing something like Omega online was their salvation as much as a huge risk. It was made to hunt and harness the power or primals, which meant it had power enough to destroy pretty much anything. If it got out of control... well, Gridania as well as the empire lands could very well be destroyed. If not the whole world.

The idea wouldn't be so bothersome to Cid, perhaps, if it hadn't come out of Nero's mouth. Fact was, as much as he still felt something for him, he didn't trust Nero one bit. Honestly, who did? Who would? He was a traitor of the empire, after trying to end the lives of almost everyone in the Enterprise. Nero had threatened Cid just months prior, when he fought alongside the warrior of light in the Praetorium. Truly, it wasn't so far fetched that he would somehow cheat everyone and get Omega to work for him, or worst, to the empire.

Although for some reason, Cid did believe Nero's empire days were over, or at least, close to over.

Cid sighed and sat down by the edge of the Enterprise in one of its many benches, closing his eyes and rubbing them gently. He was tired, of many things, but mostly Nero's little games. He wished this wasn't one of them, that he was being honest, that he wanted to help destroy the primal, avoid an eighth calamity. But no one could be certain, not even Cid.

"Someone is upset" he heard, head snapping up to see Nero standing just a few feet away from him, usual smirk on his face. He never stopped smirking. "What? The warrior of light said your goggles look dumb? Because they would be right."

"What kind of five year old insult is this?" Cid asked, annoyed, crossing his arms over his chest. Nero shrugged, sitting on the other side of the deck, some blueprints in hand. "I hope you know what you're doing Nero, or else this will cause more trouble than the one we already have."

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Garlond, worry not" he assured, crossing his leg and folding the blueprints. "Where are the rest of our passengers? Don't tell me they gave up before even trying."

"People like them would not give up, Nero, that's your job" Cid rolled his eyes. "They are finishing their affairs in the Rising Stones... then we will departure."

"Your pups too? I did not know the lala and the roe were scions as well" Nero considered, and Cid shook his head in annoyance.

"They are not. They wanted to visit an old friend of theirs."

"What about you? No friends to visit, Garlond? Oh, sorry, I forgot, you betrayed all your friends."

Cid swore he heard a spark of truth behind the snarky smirk, and he almost felt bad, except he had had that same fight with himself too many times to care hearing it from someone else.

"So have you, so I believe we are even" he responded dryly, finally taking that smirk away from Nero's face, being replaced by a flat line.

"I did not betray anyone. I worked for the empire until we were defeated" he said, to which Cid had to chuckle in response.

"You mean the legion Gaius commanded. The empire is still strong in many other regions. And you betrayed them by running away, you know you can't even return to Garlemald, the emperor would have your head for being such a coward and not dying with your comrades" he replied, because that was how the empire worked. They didn't have use for cowards. Nero's eyes turned to flames for a second, before he chuckled and smirked, shaking his head.

"You are right. I cannot deny any of it. I could have returned and worked for another faction, I could have remained and died... But you would have missed me too much, Garlond. And that is why I came to you" he said, standing up, leaving the blueprints behind and making Cid tense up immediately. He made his way towards Cid, slow, like a tiger hunting its pray, and a shiver went down his spine. "That's why you saved me, is it not? Why you pushed yourself through that portal and grabbed my hand? You wouldn't have done that to your worst enemy, would you, Garlond?"

"I thought we could still be friends. I thought..." he swallowed his words, Nero leaning over him, placing one hand on the back of the bench to support himself, the other coming up to cup Cid's cheek.

"You think too much, Garlond" he whispered, chuckling softly as their noses brushed together, their breaths mixing up in the distance between their mouths. "Something I learned how to avoid, during my time in the military. Sometimes... we just... shut our brains off, and let our bodies do the talking."

"Nero what are you-" he broke of, Nero's lips pressing against his with a certainty he hadn't seen in years. His hand moved gently across Cid's face, moving to cup his neck, pulling him closer, and Cid was unable to remain still, responding to the kiss with a sigh through his nose before his lips moved, shamelessly reaching out for Nero's waist, pulling him closer, needing him closer. Nero seemed hesitant, for an instant, but with another tug from Cid he relented, straddling him on the bench and sitting down on the shorter man's lap, both hands now reaching to hold Cid's face as the kiss got deeper. They tilted their heads, one to each side, mouths opening and tongues invading, and it felt breathless and crazy and so, so familiar and insanely satisfying, Cid swore he never felt so good in his entire life. His head was tilted up, Nero's tilted down, his hands gripping hair on Cid's hair as his held his waist hard enough to bruise, wasn't the several layers of clothing, both of them eager, both of them needy, both of them trying to pretend like they hadn't wished this for years.

Oh, it felt good to let go.

When they broke apart, their breathing deep and intense, their eyes met up in a heated gaze that softened in an instant, both seeming to realize what they had done. Cid felt a heavy weight of guilt in his chest, as Nero, somehow returning to his youth when he was silently insecure, turned his face away from Cid and pulled away, or tried to, clearly wanting to put distance between them.

Unlike he once did, however, Cid wouldn't let him escape so easily.

He pulled Nero close again, until they were chest to chest, and kept his hold firm so he wouldn't pull away, their eyes meeting again, heat having turned to anger and shame in Nero's bright eyes.

"Let me go, Garlond" he said, almost like a groan, pushing against Cid's shoulders, but it wasn't half as hard as he could. Almost like he didn't really want to move.

"No. Not again" Cid said, firmly, and kept his hold firm, steady, leaning in to get closer to Nero, their noses brushing together again despite the taller man's try to put distance between them, his back arched uncomfortably. "I won't let you leave again."

It was almost like a confession, the closes he would ever get to Cid's true sentiment. They weren't people who showed emotions through words, but through actions. They were engineers. They understood each other.

And while it was clear that Nero was avoiding said understanding, Cid would not give up.

"Garlond-" Nero tried but it was Cid's turn to shut him up, kissing him again, pulling him closer, keeping him close. And after a second or two of resistance, Nero responded, kissing him back, the kiss less heated than the first, more passionate. Slower, gentler. _Breathless_.

By the time the group returned, Cid and Nero had somewhat resolved their... tension. While they were not in speaking terms, and clearly it would take a while for them to get over their many faults in the past, they were heading off into a new direction, this time together. It felt strange, Cid would admit, to have Nero so close again. But if he could just start anew with him, at least once more, well, then it would be worth it.

Or so he hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!!!!!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are always appreciated, and I'm considering continuing this story but for now I'm keeping it like this. I have way too many ideas for this ship to like, writing a full on fanfic lol


End file.
